The Real Story Of Pippin, The Famous Come Outside Dog

Anyone remember the BBC programme Come Outside with Auntie Mabel, her polka-dot plane and Pippin the dog? If you don't you're missing out.

Every programme showed the pair travelling to learn about something different: where bread comes from, rubbish recycling and rain. It was mesmerising, to put it lightly.

BBC

Aside from the invaluable education that our inquisitive little minds were given (like how blackcurrant juice is made), we became fixated on the four-legged star of the show.

Pippin was Auntie Mabel's canine companion on the show. She was a mixed-breed - half Tibetan Terrier and half Bearded Collie - and came from a rather talented family indeed.

But what people have never realised is that Pippin the pooch changed after the first series aired in 1993.

This is because she was a pretty old dog so she would perform the slower and complex moves while her biological grandson, Mr Higgins, would take all of the physically demanding work.

Sounds like a dream, right?

BBC

At the end of the first series, Mr Higgins took over Pippin's role entirely instead of keep changing the dogs and he continued to play his part for the following two seasons.

Tragically the original Pippin, who was owned and trained by award-winning animal trainer Ann Head, passed away in the late '90s.

After she died, grandson Mr Higgins went on to star as the Bakers dog for Bakers Complete pet food adverts and, according to the Liverpool Echo, he's still pictured to this day. He sadly passed in 2008.

Safe to say, despite episode repeats stopping nearly a decade ago, people still remember Pippin and talk about her on social media.

Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: "Pippin was the best dog ever! Except for my dog pippin because she was super dog. Come Outside was the the GOAT of children's TV."

Another added: "I've never gotten over wanting a dog like pippin from Come Outside."

Someone else, who realised just what the BBC were doing switching the dogs, commented: "Pippin didn't even play Pippin in Come Outside, my life is a lie #whoisMrHiggins".

Topics: BBC

Rebecca Shepherd

I'm Becky - a journalist at LADbible. I graduated with a First Class BA in Journalism before going on to cover criminal court cases, medical tribunals and breaking news for the national media - which inevitably and eventually became as glum as it sounds. Can often be found rocking a bag for life - which I made a 'thing' way before Rihanna. You can contact me at [email protected]

@RJShepherd94